UPDATE 3/20/23 — Lambeth pleaded not guilty to her charges on Jan. 9. Lambeth has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on April 17.

Original story, published Jan. 9, 2023:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A woman is accused of assaulting multiple people in a gas station and kicking a dog.

Heaven Leah Dawn Lambeth, 21, of Springfield, was arrested and formally charged with a felony count of third-degree assault and three misdemeanors: fourth-degree assault, first-degree trespassing and animal abuse. Lambeth was charged on Dec. 29 but was not taken into custody until Jan. 6.

According to court documents, the Springfield Police Department was called out to a gas station on South Glenstone Avenue on Sept. 9 to investigate a report of a woman assaulting people and refusing to leave the property.

When officers arrived, they interviewed the gas station manager and two customers.

One customer said they tried to tell Lambeth to calm down after witnessing a disturbance in the store. He said Lambeth called him a racist and cursed at him. The customer had a German Shepherd service dog and was openly carrying a gun. He took a step forward with a “protective posture over his pistol” and told Lambeth to stop. Then Lambeth grabbed at the pistol and told him to pull it out. Lambeth then allegedly kicked the man’s service dog.

Witnesses said that Lambeth left the store after this altercation and assaulted the other customer. Lambeth put the customer in a headlock and began choking her, hitting her in the face and biting her chest, according to court documents. Another customer broke up the fight and placed Lambeth under citizen’s arrest. Lambeth then left.

The victim told officers that Lambeth punched her in the face and bit her three to four times near the right breast. Officers took photographs of the injuries. Multiple people witnessed the attack after Lambeth was told to leave the property.

Officers pulled cell phone videos, the gas station’s security camera footage and their own body cameras for evidence.

Lambeth’s next court date is a counsel status hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 25.